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Apologies madam! I have been horribly busy with school and the like. I am doing fine, merci dearly, and how is life for yourself?

CHAPTER 1.

Heaven and Earth.​

Suddenly, he awoke with a start.
Beads of sweat dotted the face and shaking hands of the boy, clenched tightly around the edge of his blanket, as he stared blankly into the dark ceiling. It was as if all but himself in the room had themselves perished – gone, empty, and resting silently sans life, and yet there he was, wide-eyed, shaking and shivering madly as if he did not have the warmth of the blanket with him. The pangs of startled fear and burgeoned panic had gripped him as they are prone to when one wakes from a nightmare – and indeed, the boy had not had such a horribly, horribly detailed nightmare before in his life.

The boy rose his shaking hand away from the blanket and towards his face – straining to stare, mouth partly agape, at its jarred image in the darkness of the night. It was a ghostly pale, warm, and yet he felt that it still held the feeling of that strange staff in his hands. He pondered upon the events that had befallen him in the nightmare – the great glass towers that rose from the impenetrable darkness, and how they contained all sorts of strange symbols and artwork upon them. Whatever did they mean? Lowering his hand, the boy looked back upward at the ceiling – but a patch of shadow in the night, and immediately recalled the strange, umbric creatures with the bright yellow eyes that seemed to shift between spatial dimensions at will. He especially thought of that voice, and the event that brought him back to the waking world, and the slight turns of his stomach appeared in their gowns of fear yet again.

The voice. The strange, taunting voice. It had held a tinge of longing melancholy in itself, and yet, it continued to coax the boy onward, to the end. Why did the boy follow it – listen to it and heed it? What would have happened if the boy decided to ignore it instead? And, most importantly, where did that voice come from? He had no choice. It seemed almost alien to himself – indeed, the entire nightmare seemed completely alien, as if it was not his own. What had led him to dream such a horrible nightmare?

These thoughts rushed seamlessly through the boy's head as he turned it to glance out the window. The darkness of the room permitted a clearer view of the sky outside, and he saw but a darkened blue canvas with only a few stars weakly and faintly holding on to their nightly lives. The day would begin soon, and here the boy was, wide awake much too early, stricken with horrendous fear and guilt over something that was simply of his imagination.

~////~​

The boy heard a soothing, familiar voice.
“Chikara, Chikara – wake up. It's morning.”
He turned his eyes towards the door and found the frail figure of his mother standing in one of her gowns. As always, she seemed to emanate an aura of constant fatigue, only strengthened by her recent waking. It seemed to get ever so slightly worse as time continued onward. Chikara thought – and in fact hoped – it was simply an illness and nothing more.
“I'm going to go take a shower, alright? You just go brush and get breakfast, I think Shou said he wanted you for something today.” And with that, Chikara's mother ambled slowly out of the room.

Shou, that was right! Shou, he had asked Chikara for his assistance only yesterday evening. Of course Chikara would forget. He silently cursed the thought-attracting power of the nightmare under his breath, and lifted himself out of bed. Like his room, Chikara was once again filled with vigorous life – but even then, he appeared but a tad less colourful. The brown-haired young boy was built in a very delicate manner – very similar to his mother, but this was only notable when one found his silent personality to match his being. He dangled his legs over the bed, looking at his toes for a moment, before leaping onto the cold wooden floor and setting off his daily morning adventure through the house. He decided to disregard the silly nightmare at the moment, for he had a busy day with Shou today. Shou! Shou would know how to get himself in a brighter mood, most certainly.

Chikara shuffled to the window and received a better look at the drowsy world around his seaside home. The great meadow, with its field of innumerable yellow flowers that appeared to flow directly into the wisened beach on the far side seemed to stay just a tad less radiant on this overcast day. The clouds held a grumpy demeanour to themselves, and even the waves that Chikara spotted quite a distance away appeared a tad more restless than usual. It was quite strange – his beloved Kismet Isle, usually bright and vibrant at this time of day, was only rarely in such negative spirit.

His beloved Kismet Isle. He stretched out his hand and touched the glass. It was but cool to the touch, as if made of ice. Chikara had been living on this island since as long as he was able to remember, and it was truly akin to an organism in itself, where the residents provided and worked it for the organism to survive. People would tend to the stores, clean the shores, and ever such more. They would congregate to trade and assist each other from places as large and expansive as the Plaza to the individual shacks that lined the other side of this particular island. It was a relatively peaceful and optimistic existence, away from the business of other major settlements in this part of the world, and it intended to stay that way.

He retracted his hand and frowned. Chikara certainly hoped that the rest of the day would not be as horribly dismal. Indeed, Chikara believed, what with Shou's shenanigans today, the morning would hopefully be a very exciting one. He moved away from the window and decided to begin his daily waking routine. Chikara stepped forward and continued on his venture through the crepuscular hours within his house, visiting one of the few tiny bathrooms that served as his own personal grooming corner. He glanced at the wide-eyed face he saw in the mirror, grimacing ever so slightly at the bags of shadow beneath them, before continuing with his daily obligation. Grab the toothpaste, off with the cap. Snatch that brush. Squeeze out the minty ambrosia of the teeth, and cascade it across the bristles. Then, ever so gently, bring the entire combination to the pearls of your maw and move quickly and efficiently. Chikara had done this but a million times previously, so he turned his attention once again to the great chestnut eyes and rounded face that glanced back at him.

Chikara wondered if the voice that commanded him was actually able to view him directly – his face, his clammy hands and large eyes – it sent a slight shiver throughout his entire body, and the well-acquainted weights of dread returned to his stomach. He put down the toothbrush, brought a cup of water to his lips, and spat out the paste, before again turning to his reflection. Chikara re-imagined the horrific ending of his nightmare – the slow descent into that wretched darkness and that static white noise – the noise of television static that he despised, slowly filling his mind more and more before it too, like the darkness, served as a complete block to his thoughts. Chikara's knees felt weak and he held his head in his hands, his mind but a slight blur.

The boy steadied himself and once again looked at his reflection. He then began to wonder if he would receive such a harrowing nightmare tomorrow night. Chikara simply shut his eyes and frowned at such a prospect – he certainly enjoyed his sleep, and it would be but a true shame if this horrible event turned him to the annals of insomnia. Perhaps, he thought, Shou would be able to assist in dealing with this rather silly problem. Chikara turned over this idea in his head and brightened through this radiant hope – yes, Shou would certainly be able to help. Shou always helps, as Chikara knew with experience. His heart a tad lighter, Chikara turned his attention to the reflection of the clock that sat on the wall behind him, ticking, steady, and observant – a perfect association of time itself. Ten-thirty! He held no such idea when exactly Shou required him, but the boy was not one to wait around too long. Chikara splashed his face with water and it simply felt to him that the worries of the nightmare washed away as quickly as the grime, weariness, and fatigue of a troubled sleep. He quickly turned off the tap and, at least slightly more vibrant with the restored will, began to move at a more determined pace towards the dining room.

The frail young boy glanced, quiet and frowning, and the lone slice of buttered toast upon his plate. He listened silently to the quiet, delicate noise that the shower echoed around the house, and waited patiently until it stopped. His mother would finally be here soon – and after they begin breakfast, he would be able to quite properly begin his day. He peered around the room, glancing around the sepia-toned, modernist wonder that was his abode and stopped his sights at the line of large windows that comprised much of the wall to the boy's left. The greyed, weary light from these windows provided the only brightness in the relatively shadowed room, which further emphasized the great blanket of sad cloud that was the sky. Poor, poor Chikara let out a soft sigh.

A few minutes later, his mother appeared, dressed in black and relatively ready for work, heartily crunching on an apple she delicately held in her hand. “Alright, Chikara, you can go when you finish that toast. Shou wouldn't like to be kept waiting.” She smiled gently, in the typical soft, maternal way, but Chikara had, lately, began to notice something lingering behind the smile – almost a slight crook of the mouth at the end, as if bent or smudged to indicate something hidden.
“Yeah, yeah mom.” He said solemnly, glancing back at his plate.
Chikara's mother continued to stand observing her son, slowly chewing on the apple. “You look down, what's wrong, dear?”
“Oh? Uh, well – I had, I had a sort of dream.”
“What sort of dream? Dreaming about girls?”
“What! No mom! It wasn't even a good dream!”
Chikara's mother walked over to the table and placed her apple upon it. “Care to explain, dear?”
“Well,” Chikara bit his lip. “It's uh, it's a bit hard to explain. I was in this – this place, of sorts. It was, uh, dark, really dark.” He stumbled over the words. “And there were, like, these towers rising out of the darkness. And uh, oh god. A voice. There was a voice.” Chikara, once again, shivered a tad.
“A voice?”
“A voice. This is kind of too scary to discuss so I think I'll just go mom-”
“No, Chikara. I'm here to help.” She walked over to Chikara and wrapped his arms around him. “You're my little boy, you can tell me whatever you want and I'll be able to help you, always.” She smiled once again.
Chikara felt more relaxed in her motherly embrace, but was still quite on edge. “Thanks, mom, but I really think I should get going. I was thinking Shou could help me too, you know. But – but, uh, thanks.” Removing himself from her grip, he leapt off of the chair and snatched the slice of toast off of the plate. “Going now. Love you mom, I- I don't want you to get late!”
“Right. Right.” Chikara's mom voiced quietly. Chikara was not able to glance at his mother's face. “Goodbye, dear.”
But Chikara had already run off in the direction of the front door.

~////~​

“Chi! Finally!”
Chikara strode up to the younger boy sitting directly in the middle of the path. He looked up at Chikara with the dark and stringent eyes set upon a greying – almost sickly face, close to that of the sky itself, whilst his slightly long hair followed the wind in a flowing unison. What was the most prominent on his whole being, however, was certainly his smile – naturally grafted and soldered, it seemed to be eternally present; never shifting, just one of the large curves of his face that continued perpetually as long as Chikara could remember.
“Sorry, Shou. Sorry about that. I was uh, caught up with something.”
The boy got up and shut his eyes rather jovially. “No need, Chi. We've all got those times when we just want to stay in bed forever, you know?” He released a friendly punch to Chikara's arm, and Chikara let out a nervous chuckle. He felt comfortable around Shou, but today it felt as if his soul was still followed by those dreadful memories.
Chikara's face turned a tad more grim as was reminded of that horrid nightmare. That was the true reason his sleep was patchy and bedraggled – nothing like what Shou had described. “You see,” He began, staring down at his shoes meekly, “It – it wasn't even that. I couldn't sleep last night.”
“You couldn't sleep and you're a bit late, eh?”
“N-no, you don't understand! The time went by quickly when I kept thinking. I tried to go back to sleep but- but it was too hard-”
Shou lifted his hand to silence his friend. “Right, right, why don't you get to it? What was it? Couldn't handle your mom's steamed paopu again?”
“No,” whispered Chikara, solemnly. “It was a dream. I mean – no, it was a nightmare.”
Shou's eyes widened. “A nightmare you say?”
“Y-yeah.” Chikara grasped the side of his lowered head with one of his hands, as the memories grew heavier and darker. “A bad one.”
Shou glanced at the dirty path, and – shoving his hands in his pockets briskly – kicked a small pebble onto the grass nearby. “Tell me about your nightmare.”

~////~​

Chikara and Shou looked at each other, intent – one holding a fearful worry to himself and the other tauntingly fox-faced, as they sat across from themselves upon the grass, the path acting as a great river between them.
“So Shou, what do you think?” Chikara inquired.
Shou lowered his eyes for a moment, stroking his chin, before darting his vision back to his friend. “Yeah, I've heard of this before, sort of. Kind of. It's a bit tricky, actually.”
Chikara was shocked for but a moment. He was not the only one who had dreamt such a tumultuous dream? He sighed softly, as if a physical burden had been lifted ever so slightly out of his heart. He had gained the reassurance of external minds receiving such nightmares as well. “Where did you hear it before?”
“I don't know exactly, but the premise sounds pretty similar. Huge towers out of nothing. That distinctive voice. The feeling of being sucked in and – and, the static – that especially. The static, its like, in all of those other nightmares.” Shou rose from his place upon the wet morning grass, and crossed the path towards Chikara's domain. “You see, Chi,” He began, “Don't try and spread this yourself, but there's a sort of rumour going around Kismet.”
Chikara's eyes widened. “A – a rumour? Sort of like my dream?”
“Sort of is your dream, Chi. You see, it seems that people have been having bad dreams for a good while now, 'specially containing that voice and the static. It's really strange. They've only recently started too – I mean, not too recent, as they've been here for a few months, but – well, Chi, you remember that one kid from up north who seemed to have disappeared? Nobody knows what happened to him really.”
Chikara strained to recall that particular young boy. It was rare for Kismet to receive denizens from the north among their shores, but they had quite recently appeared through larger tides with what has been rumoured to be the decimation of their original home. The boy did faintly recall a feeble young man of the sort, though he barely knew him before he disappeared out of Chikara's life.
“I kind of remember him.” Chikara replied.
“Yeah well,” Shou began yet again, scratching his head. “This is just an observation on the rumour's part, but those dreams seemed to have started some time after that boy disappeared. I mean, I've never had them myself, but I find it a bit strange. There has to be some sort of connection, I'd think. At least the rumour seems to think that too.”
“But Shou, e-even if there is a connection, what does it even matter if I'm going to keep having these again?” Chikara supported his head with his hands yet again, fatigued through the entire ordeal.
Shou, meanwhile, simply laughed and slapped his poor friend on the back. “Yeah, you're right, it doesn't matter! It was just a nightmare after all – nothing else. Nightmares can't hurt you. Remember that, Chi.”
Chikara sighed. “I guess.”

Chikara looked upward at Shou's beaming face. It appeared as if Shou himself was the sun to which the dismally painted landscapes beckoned towards. Though his face did appear, at first, as grey as the hues of Kismet on this morning, it appeared to radiate a confidence and optimism that struck its direct surroundings with invigorating energy. Chikara always felt rather safe around Shou – the boy acted as a mentor and older brother to him, and he was always able to cheer poor Chikara up.

“Now, Chi, on to what I brought you here for.” He strode back to the path, directly in front of Chikara, and, feigning a serious expression on his face, began to pace back and forth, deep in thought over the current matter. “There's this girl.”
Chikara giggled.
“Shut up Chi, not like that! This a matter of extreme importance, so stop that laughing!”
“R-right. Alright.” Chikara clasped a hand over his smile-stricken mouth.
Shou continued with his stringent pacing. “Alright, so, there's this girl. She's only recently arrived on Kismet, or at least I'd presume, since I've never seen her before. And to make things worse, she seems to love hanging out by my dad's place at the Plaza. She's been acting pretty suspicious, all in all.”

Chikara remembered the Plaza quite well. It acted as the heart of Kismet society – the headquarters of an innumerable amount of administrative citizenry, and received all sorts of special guests and diplomats. Chikara knew it well – almost as well as Shou.
“Maybe,” He suggested, “She's someone, uh, important? Really important.”
“Maybe.” Shou stroked his chin yet again, averting his eyes. “But still. She seems to love hanging around our place. Maybe's its the reflective pool. I don't know. But she seems to be searching for something – her eyes keep looking this way and that. Looking for something. She may or may not be important, but what I want to know is why she's acting like some suave secret agent from Lumen. It's just too strange.”
Oh dear, Chikara certainly knew what was about to occur. He had spent enough time with that unhinged pacing boy to understand what sort of shenanigans would be led by these scenarios. He opened his mouth to object, but was cut off by Shou.
“Hold it, Chi.” His falsely hardened face reverted to its natural smile. “So, I'm pretty sure what I'd need you for, right?”
Chikara considered the idea. He certainly believed that it would be rather fun stalking around the Plaza of all locations, and – more importantly, it would take his mind off of the nightmare, at least temporarily.
Chikara lowered his head silently, averting his face from Shou's vision, as he let out a soft “Fine, alright.”
“Hah!” Shou laughed. “Chi, I can see that smile of yours! You're just as excited as I am. Come on, I haven't taken you to the Plaza for a while. It'll be fun. Perhaps we may even find out some extra special and awesome reason why that girl is acting like a dime-novel gumshoe!”
Chikara rose. Shou, indeed, always appeared to find a way to restore his spirits. He witnessed Shou cast himself onward to the path, and he quickly jogged after him.

~////~​

A great square of concrete, crisscrossed with set flower gardens, artificial rivers and pools, and the enormous, flawless, structures of all sorts that were crafted of the purest white and glass, perfect cubes and prisms at their roots but supported by large, sail-like supports and buttresses. It was a marvel of planning and abstract architecture. It was the Plaza, and here were Chikara and Shou, peering over a large built-in flower container that rose from the same concrete, viewing a strange red-haired young lass by one of the square's many reflective pools and acting – as Chikara personally believed – awkwardly silly.
“Alright, she will be walking away in a few moments it seems, we've gotta follow her.” Shou informed Chikara.
“Why do you even care so much about her?”
Shou turned to Chikara. “I don't want to repeat myself again, Chi. She's been pretty suspicious all this time! What if she's going to, like, plant a bomb or something?” - Shou gripped an invisible bomb in his hands and threw it down with vigorous force to emphasize this point. “As citizens of Kismet, it is our duty to root out all of these potential criminals and ne'er-do-wells!” He pointed directly to the solemn sky.
Shou's voice appeared to have echoed across the square, as the girl quickly turned towards the direction of the two boys. The two friends immediately ducked back behind their barrier.
“Dammit, hopefully she didn't see us!” cursed Shou. “Can you do some recon, Chi?”
“Can I do some what?”
“Recon! You know, scouting-”
“I-I know what reconnaissance is, Shou. But, don't you think that'd be a bit silly? I-I'm not the right person -”
“Aw, come on Chi! I've known you for a while. You're the best scout I know – silent and observant. What other qualities does a recon guy need?”
“N-no. I refuse!” Chikara blurted out.
Shou sighed. “Alright Chi, can you at least peak your head up over this flower pot here? Just the eyes, even. Your hair will be hidden by those flowers.”
Chikara agreed, albeit reluctantly, and once again his soft chestnut eyes peeked over the edge of the rectangular flower pot.

From his position, he witnessed the girl move beyond the view of the two young boys, heading towards the direction of the twin obelisks of the Kismet Legislature off in the distance. Chikara quickly ducked back and turned to Shou.
“She's off, off uh, north, I think.” He explained.
“Off!” Shou yelped. “We have to go after her! Quickly, Chi, we'll be off too!”

Thus did the short chase around the island begin. Chikara knew Shou as quite the tricky one – he had been present on this specific island of the duo for a good enough while to recall all of the fissures, crannies, bends, turns, plants, and uprisings that would provide excellent hiding locations. Though, Chikara understood, it certainly helped that Kismet Isle held a layout that was specifically planned and unbelievably easy to understand. They followed the red-haired girl through quite a bit of the dreary, dreaming landscape – from the edges of the Plaza itself, crossing roads and homes, stores, streets, old citizens on their morning walks, lights, loud noises, and a multitude of relatively large buildings – never as great as the cloudy white, geometric guardians of the Plaza. Then the land of humans and urban sprawl met its end and the grasses, flowers, and fields sprung up to reclaim presumably false land, and though things stayed but a tad harder the two friends continued on their quest. Each then and there, they would cease for a quick moment, observing and viewing the girl's next movement; step; crossing or leap through the island. Though they were quite akin to cats towards the girl's mouse, the two young friends worked together well – The excited and boisterous Shou sent forth ideas, commands, and actions as though smote from the hands of the skies themselves, and the stoic Chikara executed them with haste and efficiency, as silent and loyal as the rumbling ground. They were a magnificent team, or at least they believed – for, indeed, it was eventually that with such teamwork the two friends were able to chase the girl down to a part of the island even Shou had not visited.

“W-what is this place, Shou? We've uh, we've never been here before, h-have we?” Chikara nervously asked, as the two hid themselves behind a rather large stone. The sand of the beach they sat upon played around with Chikara's toes as they entered his sandals, and looking away from the lazy tides and grey skies of the ocean, he turned again towards the great cliff that seemed to provide a backdrop for this seaside scene. It rose seamlessly, crafted chalk white out of the golden sand, and held an enormous hole, as dark as the pitch black that the enormous columns rose out of in Chikara's nightmare, and – perhaps the strangest fact of all – perfectly circular. The girl stood outside of this hole, silent, waiting – or perhaps attempting to decide – something or the other.
“I've no idea, Chi.” Shou replied. “In fact, it's pretty strange that this cliff, maybe even this entire section of the island, is even here. They've never really used chalk when constructing this part, if I recall right.” He turned to Chikara with his characteristic smile. “See, Chi? I told you. I told you something was up with that girl! Nobody else knows about this place except her. Maybe there's something in that cave there.”
Sure enough, Chikara continued to observe silently as the girl, after but a year and three more of pondering her decision, slowly stepped across the sand. The soft grain acted as a cushion to her steps as she tread with little noise into the great maw of the cliff, silent and almost unnoticed. Almost.
“There, there – Shou. Shou, she's gone in. S-she's gone in.”
“Right!” Shou leapt up and jumped directly over the rock, landing with a soft thud on the sand in front of it. “Come on, Chi, we're almost there! We're about to find that secret!”

The two boys strode off in the direction of the strange cavern. But something felt a tad off. Something was wrong – unnatural. Chikara attempted to listen closely.
“W-wait Shou, wait please. Please.”
Shou stopped and turned to look behind him. “What? What's wrong, Chi?”
Chikara strained to hear, lowering his head staying silent. Something was certainly off with the noise of the environment – something unconventional.
Shou walked over to Chikara. “Chi? Chikara? Come on, you gotta tell me what's wrong!”
“It's j-just, I don't know, there's something, a sound -” Chikara cut himself off for a moment, as his eyes widened and he brought a trembling hand to his temple. “O-oh, oh my god. This sound. There's something.”
“What?” Shou asked, a tinge of worry in his voice.
“It's like, that – that white noise. I-I swear I've heard it before, s-somewhere.”
Shou stayed silent for a moment, before letting out a hearty laugh.
“Chi, that white noise is just the tide, stop worrying yourself.”
Chikara turned towards the ocean and walked towards its edge. As the noise of the waves crashing against the bulwark of the beach grew louder, the strange noise he heard did seem to blend into and fit that of the rushing water. Perhaps Shou was right. Chikara was simply being paranoid.
“R-right, sorry about that, I-I'm uh, I'm just shaken a bit by this entire ordeal, Shou. Y-you know.” He whimpered.
“No need!” Shou called out again. “Alright, frown-boy, let's get into that cave so we can make you a happier person and save Kismet all before lunch!”
And with that, Shou rushed into the cave. Chikara turned again to the ocean, and turned once more to the direction of the cave, before clumsily stumbling after his good, reassuring friend.

---

Spoiler: Author Notes

It is time to kick off the meat of the story - quite hopefully, things shall be wonderful in their occurrence. Guardian Soul and I have quite a bit planned.

Chapter 1 was rather odd to write, I must say - the beginning parts in Chikara's home were knowingly understood to be perhaps the most uneventful parts of the entire story, which may be attributable to the rather odd writing and humour used from time to time. In general, things began to move quicker when Shou was introduced - indeed, I must note that Chapter 1 in itself is quite dialogue driven.

Kismet Isle is an interesting concept whose true nature has been alluded to throughout the chapter, but two points I find to be lovingly indicative of what exactly it is at the moment may be Chikara's home and the Plaza, and their appropriate inspirations.

Chikara's Home - Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House



The Robie House is perhaps one of the most famous constructs of famed American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and is very indicative of his distinctive, slightly modernistic style (for another example, note the famous Fallingwater). In the actual chapter, the house was not described outright and in fact descriptions stayed rather minimalistic with a few acknowledgements of the similarities here and there, but this may be the basis for imagining Chikara's home, at the moment. Chikara's home is generally indicative of the common suburban architecture of Kismet Isle - a sort of postmodernistic Prairie House mishmash and architectural wet dream to an extent.

The Kismet Plaza - The Praça dos Três Poderes ("Three Powers Plaza")



Denizens of Brasilia may note similarities to a certain structure when this direct connection is made. In the chapter, the Plaza itself was much more greener and vegetated so to speak - whereas its Brazilian inspiration is more minimalistic in typical Oscar Niemeyer fashion. The largest indication was the Kismet legislative, which was directly inspired by those two towers, the Brazilian National Congress. Indeed, the Praça in itself acts as the central point in which various elements of the government are headquarted, if I recall correctly.

Oh, three powers plaza, indeed.

Shou's house was acknowledged to be in the area, but that may be touched upon in the future.

My God/Goddess Is: [What?]

My Name Is: [Zsigmond Csupó (Sigmund)]

I came into this world on: [June 9, 1959, I am fifty-two years old]

Some people say I’m: [Very grumpy from time to time, and usually off being what some call "eccentric" here and there. Apparently my voice is known for being loud and some consider myself more cranky grandfather than anything. It does not help that the children will not get off my lawn. I am one who is usually relaxed though, because, as they say, is the life not for enjoyment?]

This has been my life so far: [I was born in the city of Pecs, and my brother and pregnant mother emigrated to the United States from Hungary when I was fifteen. My life as a child has been rough - we were considered strangers by the other people in the city for a good while, and our family struggled to survive in the 60s when my father perished in a working accident. I did not even learn English fluently until I was eighteen. I was able to attend university and received a degree in physics - though, I am, as of this moment, currently unemployed and living alone.]

Oh yeah, this is me:

Spoiler

This is my baby: [My portable MacBook Air that holds all sorts of wonderful things. Oh the wonders of this new technology!]

This is what I enjoy in life: [Science, people, and good food - oh yes, the good food is wonderful! The southern Chinese cuisine is especially my favourite. I also adore relaxing, reading, and playing sports - usually whilst in a suit of some sort, along with informing the children of the neighbourhood to get off my lawn damn it.]

This is what I hate: [Those goddamn kids on my goddamn lawn! I mean, truly, those teenage and young adults love making fun of me for acting like the stereotype of the old men but it is true!

I also hold a dislike of excessive silence, gossip, people who cannot understand another person's feelings, and those who care not for the other people, especially if they are poorer than them. ]

If I could have a theme song, this would be it: [I am a fan of the American jazz music.]

Oh goodness, why thank you dearly, mysterious good sir/madam! As the winter arrives here I shall certainly attempt to stay cool. You must also continue to be an excellent person!

Joining immediately.

I suppose I shall claim the parts:

"
I'm not even angry.
I'm being so sincere right now.
Even though you broke my heart.
And killed me.

Go ahead and leave me.
I think I prefer to stay inside.
Maybe you'll find someone else to help you.

and,

Look at me still talking
when there's Science to do.
When I look out there, it makes me GLaD I'm not you."

I shall do so immediately. My Skype name is microstrigidae. 5pm EST may sadly be a tad too early for myself - I am usually home by around 6:30 or...

Ah, that would be lovely! What time, sir?

I personally enjoy typing with the away keys.

I can imagine Makaze being played by Alan Rickman.

And here I had presumed the hospitals had ceased using morphine.

Oh dear, who sent off Groudon through this new region?

Maka: Master of Synchronization.

Truly, I must say. I shall certainly first note that the song chosen fit the content of the video - and our specific character followed in question - unbelievably well, especially considering all the sorts of struggles Riku has gone through the story. The song serves to emphasize this in general and bring such to light - being essentially a juxtaposition of Riku's rather confused life. From a technical standpoint, even for an old video it shows a clear mastery and skill - the transitions flowed into one another excellently and the effects in general were very skilfully handled - and, what is more, the effects used added an even greater emphasis on the aforementioned content of the video, which served to tie all of the individual parts together. I must say, madam, such a video alone has proved that you are certainly an AMV virtuoso.

[video=youtube;oCW9Hey6IVY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCW9Hey6IVY[/video]

I shall most certainly not have those ridiculous enchiladas judging our writing contests!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CA2NzH1gXfk

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Spoiler: Song contains Puella Magi spoilers

Wake up in the morning feeling like Kyubey
Grab my Soul Gem, I'm out the door, I'm gonna hit this city
Before I leave, dress myself in something nice and black
'Cause when I leave for the witch, I ain't coming back

I'm talking tight slippers on our toes, toes
Colourful dressy clothes, clothes
Burdened with saddened loads, loads
Generating infinite fire arms
Avoiding the witches' harm, harm
Trying hard to keep our moe charms

Don't stop, barriers drop
Kyubey is trolling this place up
Tonight, I'mma fight
Witches 'til the sunlight.
Tick tock on my clock
The corruption don't stop, no

Woah-oh-oh-oh
Woah-oh-oh-oh

Don't stop, barriers drop
Kyubey is trolling this place up
Tonight, I'mma fight
Witches 'til the sunlight.
Tick tock on my clock
The corruption don't stop, no

Woah-oh-oh-oh
Woah-oh-oh-oh

Ain't got a care in the world, now that the wish is clear
Ain't got no soul in my body, but my Soul Gem's here
And now the witches are lining up cause they hear we're like coca
But we kick 'em to the curb unless they look like Madoka

I'm talking about everybody getting depressed,
Witch's kiss making 'em stressed, stressed
Have to save 'em if they cause some mess, mess

Now, now, we do until the familiars come around
Or the witches shut us down, down
Witches shut us down, down
Wi-wi shut us-

Don't stop, barriers drop
Kyubey is trolling this place up
Tonight, I'mma fight
Witches 'til the sunlight.
Tick tock on my clock
The corruption don't stop, no

Woah-oh-oh-oh
Woah-oh-oh-oh

Kyubey, you build me up
You break me down
My heart, it pounds
Yeah, you got me

With my hands up
You got me now
You got that soul
Yeah, you got me

Kyubey, you build me up
You break me down
My heart, it pounds
Yeah, you got me

With my hands up
You got me now
You got that soul
Yeah, you got me

With my hands up
Put your hands up
Put your hands up

Now, the fighting don't start 'til I walk in.

Don't stop, barriers drop
Kyubey is trolling this place up
Tonight, I'mma fight
Witches 'til the sunlight.
Tick tock on my clock
The corruption don't stop, no

Woah-oh-oh-oh
Woah-oh-oh-oh

Don't stop, barriers drop
Kyubey is trolling this place up
Tonight, I'mma fight
Witches 'til the sunlight.
Tick tock on my clock
The corruption don't stop, no

I personally prefer Post-It Notes in marriage myself.

Meanwhile at technical support.